Zelda: Downpour
by Dylan Kennedy
Summary: We all know that at some point in time, Hyrule is flooded by the Goddesses when Ganondorf attempts to take over while Link is nowhere to be found. This story covers the 60 days leading up to the Great Flood in a Steampunkified Castle Town.
1. Prologue

Zelda: Downpour

Prologue

They tell legends in this world that a boy clothed in green will save us from destruction whenever the need arises.

I ask, where is this boy now?

Every single day this city suffers under the oppression of its own government, ruled by a baron who is obviously the reincarnation of this Kingdom's most notorious villain.

I'm talking about Baron Von Gaught. He may fool some of my fellow countrymen, but not me. That orange hair, that look in his eyes. He's pure fucking evil and I know this.

My name is Barret Aqualung and I'm sick of this place. Castle Town, ever since the Great Discovery has been polluted and crowded. Smog fills the air, thick enough in the slums to sometimes kill a man if he's out for too long.

Those of us not killed by the smog are either addicted to drugs, in prison for resisting Gaught, or are ignoring the obvious truth that we're being controlled and continue on with the daily battle to stay fed and warm as if nothing's changed.

I am alone in the sense that only I realize what is going on without shrugging it off, and today, I'm going to begin making good on my promise to fix this. I'll do it for Hyrule and nothing else, because heroes don't always show up and save everything like Legends say. Sometimes, it takes an ordinary man with a little talent and determination.

A man like me.


	2. Chapter One

One

Walking through the slums today, wet rag over my mouth to keep out as much smog as possible, I came across the carcass of a dead dog. I noticed that he had a motor-carriage track on him, near his lower gut region. Those rich bastards really don't care, do they?

Continuing on, I passed by a few guardsmen or henchmen I suppose I should call them. They were guarding the West Gate, as per the usual. "No one gets out" has been the policy in Castle Town for years now, since Gaught took power. Our goods are imported from all across Hyrule and we're trapped in this shit hole. We live here, we breed here, and we die here.

If I want to start changing things, I need to start acting too. All I had on me at the time was my dagger, short but very sharp, and my scimitar. Most people that carry weapons carry rapiers and the like, but I find them too flimsy for my own tastes. Of course, the guards are above us and carry portable-canons. If you thought Crossbows were bad, you have no idea.

Portable canons are loud and almost always fatal. They are easy to load and require little skill to perfect. Black powder and steam propel "bullets" (small lead projectiles) at godly speeds, tearing holes in the target. If one is shot in the stomach, stomach bile leaks into the body and they're pretty much fucked.

I knew I would have to be fast about it, for the second guard will attempt to shoot after his comrade falls. I drew my sword and walked around the backside of the shop adjacent to the gate. I came up behind and to the left of Guard A and sliced his throat open with my scimitar. Guard B, on cue, spun towards me and raised his portable canon. I let fly with my dagger, which sailed through the air right into his left eye socket.

Quickly sheathing my sword, I grabbed my dagger out of Guard B's eye and ran off into a thick cloud of smog. I knew of an abandoned building nearby and decided to hide in there. I stashed myself in a crate and waited.

Time went by, heard some commotion, but I was able to sneak out at nighttime.

Upon returning home, I noticed that a symbol was scrawled onto the floor of my bedroom.

It was the Triforce, the sacred relic of this Kingdom, but upside down. I have heard that some nations turn their flag upside down as a sign of distress. This could possibly mean the same thing?

Not enough energy to think now. I must rest.


	3. Chapter Two

Two

I awoke the next morning holding someone by the throat. That someone happened to be staring at me when I opened my eyes, so I instinctively grabbed my dagger from under the pillow and put them in a hold. "Speak or die, Hylian."

"Don't kill me-" he coughed.

"You are in my house, watching me sleep. For all I know, you're a spy of Gaught and I should gladly remove you from this world."

"I am the one who scrawled the symbol!" he was really struggling at this point. I let him drop to the floor and he sat there sputtering and coughing for ten entire minutes.

I brought him a glass of water to help ease his pain. "Drink this; it's straight from Zora's Domain. Not polluted like that shit you get out of the fountain in center Castle Town." He drank the water and laid back, closing his eyes.

"So why did you break into my house and scrawl that message in the first place? What do you want from me?"

"I saw what you did yesterday. How you killed those henchmen, it was fantastic. You may find this hard to believe, but you're not the only one who's sick of being oppressed by Baron Von Gaught." His eyes narrowed and his anger clearly showed regarding the topic at hand.

"Someone who does not take action is just as bad as someone taking negative action."

"The people would take action if they had a leader."

I strode to my door and prepared to open it, but decided to leave it closed a bit longer. "I know what you're thinking and I'm telling you that you don't want to be involved with me. I'm going to get killed someday for my actions and ideals, but that doesn't matter to me. You look young, go start a family. Find a woman, make babies, and raise them. I'll keep doing whatever I can to get at Gaught until I die."

And with that, I opened the door for him. "Go enjoy the day; the smog isn't quite as thick today." He got up and began to leave when he looked back at me in the doorway. "If you change your mind, scrawl that symbol-" he motioned to the upside-down triforce, "-on the floor of the abandoned building you hid in."

He walked out into the street and disappeared into the crowd. I closed the door and began applying wood cure to the floor where the symbol lied, erasing any evidence of the meeting.

I decided to visit an old friend of mine that day. I walked into the Tavern dressed in my usual garb: black long coat, dark green dress pants with small white ruffles on the bottoms, nearly-knee high brown boots, a dark green dress shirt to accompany my pants, a white undershirt with small ruffles on the ends of the sleeves, and my black wide-brimmed hat. I may be a thief and an assassin, but I dress like a gentleman.

The Tavern smelled of alcohol and Locoweed, the drug of choice for Castle Town. Locoweed can grow almost anywhere and a high can be achieved by smoking or even chewing on the grass-like blades.

I sat near the stage at the back and watched as Lady Crimson, that was her stagename anyway, waltzed onto the floor in her exotic underwear. The main color of her garb was crimson, go figure. She bore the look of lust in her eyes, and the customers loved that. Fools rushed to the stage throwing rupee after rupee up towards her. She would pick them up and toss them towards the back of the stage most of the time, but if it was a purple rupee or orange, she would lick the rupee first.

Lady Crimson shook her hips and bit her lip for the addicts and drunks of the Tavern while rupee after rupee was tossed toward her. Her body was a perfect hourglass, and her skin was light enough to blend in with sour cream. If she felt any shame from her profession, she danced away the guilt on this stage. It's hard to hate her when she has those incredible hips, those ruby-red irises, and her lips.

Those beautiful lips.

I found myself focusing on her thick lips, getting lost in thought. She seemed to not notice me. After the show, I walked around to the man guarding the dressing rooms. He recognized my handshake and let me pass.

"I thought you weren't coming back here ever again, Barret." She didn't even turn around from her chair. She just continued sitting there at her dressing stand, looking at me via the mirror while reapplying crimson makeup to her amazingly full lips.

"Promises are rarely kept, and you're one to talk, Ruby." She turned around and glared at this.

"Still an asshole? Good to know nothing's changed Barret. You're the one that left me, remember? We were going to take down Gau-"

"Stop talking Ruby. You wanted to start a family and that's it. You never cared about my cause or anything of the sort."

"That's cucco shit and you know it, stop acting like the macho tough guy you think you are. I wanted children, yes, but I wanted to help you too…"

"Now isn't the time for this anyway. I came here regarding a certain young male, age approximately 14-16. He seemed to know my place of residence and my cause, and has been possibly stalking me for quite some time. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

Ruby shrugged and began polishing her nails. "Did you ever love me, Barret?" She stared at me with a completely straight face – no emotion at all. It wasn't so much the stare that bothered me though, it was that look in her eyes. Completely devoid of anything at all, like looking into a pitfall filled with deep rubies.

"Don't change the subject damnit, tell me about the kid."

"Answer the question and I'll tell you if I know anything." She blew gently on her nails.

I let out a sigh of annoyance. Women are complicated creatures and complications only delay things. "Yes I did, but the time for love is over. What about the kid?"

She smiled and told me, "His name is Leon and he looks up to you. He's an orphan, like we were, and lives off of the spare bread that the Temple priests give him."

"If you see him again, tell him that following me probably means death and he should stay away if he wants to live." I began to walk away when I heard Ruby make one last comment.

"You don't have to do this alone Barret."

"I know."

I walked away without looking back.

There I was, walking through the slums again. It seemed like this had become routine for me.

Wake up, get dressed, walk through slums, and steal from caravans. Tonight shall be different.

Oh yes, tonight will be _very_ different.

10,000 barrels of bombs scattered about Clock Town, all ready to detonate at the push of a button. Glorious? Yes. Tenacious? Also yes. This town will be forcefully liberated, tonight, the people will see what one man is capable of.

I had set bombs underneath all of the statues of Gaught, thanks to the city's underground tunnel system. Most people aren't aware of their existence, luckily, and I was able to plant all explosives without a hitch. The irony of this is that the explosives aren't the most impressive part of my plan.

I have discovered a way to send radio waves through the air between two transmitters, which means, I can remotely detonate the bombs. How glorious the night sky shall be when lit by my explosives!


	4. Chapter Three

Three

It is now 11:55PM and I am standing on the roof of my favorite apothecary, now closed for the night. My bombs will blow away the statues, the landmark buildings in Center Castle Town, and the Guard quarters at the East and West gates, and the Clock Tower. The Clock Tower meant a lot to the people, though it was something we really stole from a nearby nation. Such elegance in such an unoriginal piece!

Tonight I begin the plans which have been spreading in my mind for so long.

Tonight, the Revolution begins. Many people are celebrating quietly in their homes, for it should be the Carnival of Time. Baron Von Gaught deemed the holiday un-Hylian and thus, all of its practitioners are heretics who will be shot on sight. That's Gaught's main form of control – fear. Fear of being shot down in the streets, fear of being black-sacked and dragged away into the night. Gaught's good at what he does, but tonight, a challenger approaches.

My name is Barret Aqualung, and in 4 minutes, this town will have a new reason to live. I heard a voice from behind me and drew my sword, only to see a familiar face. "Leon."

"Barret. What are you doing up here?"

"Do you like music, Leon?"

"Uh, yeah? Doesn't everyone?"

"Of course they do, personally, I prefer percussion." Two minutes remain.

Leon looked out at the city and focused his attention on the Clock Tower. "Sure looks beautiful tonight. What a wondrous monument."

"Can you hear that, Leon?" By now, my hired musicians were lining up along the side streets and the criers were coming into position. I was close to trembling from the excitement flowing through my body. The musicians began playing a song called the "Sonata of Awakening". Lovely tune.

"What is that?"

"Sshhh, the Deku Pipes are coming in." Indeed the Deku Pipes were coming in well. The night air carried their sound across the town fairly well. 30 seconds.

"Are those guitars? I can hear guitars!"

"Yes, those are guitars. You can also hear some ocarinas if you concentrate." 15 seconds.

"I hear them!"

"And now for the percussion!" I jammed my hand into my coat pocket and flipped the switch on the remote. Rumbles came from under the city, and then went the statues. Brilliant blasts of light burst forth from their busts, and then they exploded into dust before my eyes.

"Whoa what the hell?" Leon screamed, looking at me in disbelief. I merely laughed as the next batch of explosives went off, tearing down one of the landmark buildings in Center Castle Town.

"What did you do Barret?"

"Here comes the grand finale! Look to the Clock Tower!" And right on cue, the face of the Clock exploded into tiny shards of glass and wood. The explosives at the base began to go off, leveling the Tower slowly and steadily. I continued laughing as the tower slowly crumbled into the ground.

"You blew up the Clock Tower? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Leon screamed over the music.

My criers then began chiming in with my pre-written speech. From every street in Castle Town, my words echoed:

"Tonight, you all have bared witness to what one man is capable of doing. Think of this multiplied by one hundred, perhaps one thousand. Are you still scared of Gaught? His men rape and kill and kidnap daily, our food rations get smaller and smaller. Gaught is but one man accompanied by scum similar to himself.

I ask that you cease ignoring the tumor in front of you, and stand with me. If you believe in the power of Revolution, then you will gather in Central Castle Town in sixty days. If you prefer to live under the oppressive thumb of our government, stay in your homes. Turn a shoulder to the things going on around you. They will brand me as a terrorist, but remember that the things destroyed tonight were merely buildings. Remember that a building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. A symbol, in and of itself is powerless, but with enough people behind it, blowing up a building can change the world. Change the world with me, for the sake of the world itself. See you in sixty days."

My criers finished their calls and retreated into the night. Leon sat there looking out at the destruction before him with a puzzled look on his face.

"In time, you will understand my actions. I didn't want you and Ruby to be involved, but I'm sure you won't give me a choice. It's not like the boy of legend cares or is coming at all, right?" I turned abruptly and leapt down from the building. "I suggest you hurry home and don't get seen. Anyone out here will surely be black-sacked."

I ran into the night, satisfied that I have set the wheels of Revolution in motion.


	5. Chapter Four

Four

Nothing worth mentioning happened during the week following my little fireworks display. Gaught had no idea who was the cause, but he was definitely pissed. Rumor was that whoever responsible would be publically drawn and quartered.

Ah, how I love pathetic threats. Everyone knows that whoever did it is going to get away just fine, which is good news for me, considering that I'm far too busy to have my insides torn out at the current time.

The second week after the fireworks was when things started to get interesting. I started finding that symbol, the upside-down triforce, scrawled in random places on city streets and near my safehouse- the abandoned shack in West Castle Town.

I had not made mention of leaving symbols in my speech for the criers, nor had I told anyone of the meeting between myself and young Leon. I decided that it would be worthwhile to talk to Ruby and have her deliver a message for me, so I set out into the rainy morning.

I felt a lot of tension in the air, something was obviously going down. Ruby would have to wait. I bumped into a beggar and decided that he might be worth my time to extract information from.

"Excuse me beggar, do you feel the tension in the air? Is something happening today?" I asked him, holding out a rupee.

"Someone's getting executed in the plaza for shooting a guard with a portable canon. I don't know how in the Hyrule he got 'hold of one of those, if ya ask me."

I paid the beggar for the information and proceeded to my favorite rooftop overlooking Central Castle town. As the beggar mentioned, there was a man approaching the gallows. He was thrashing about, trying to get out of the guard's grasp. As soon as he was unbagged, I saw his face.

He was tan and had brooding, dark eyes with long black hair to boot. He started screaming after the unbagging

"THE REVOLUTION WILL CONTINUE, THIS STOPS NOTHING! DO YOU HEAR ME BARON VON GANONDORF?"

Oh a follower, how nice. But what is this? At that time, I noticed that there were some shady-looking men with a horse positioned right behind the gallows. They looked like they were going to send it under to grab the man once his rope was cut.

I looked into the crowd as a commotion started, someone was being apprehending. He had a light crossbow on him. He was probably the man who was supposed to shoot the rope to free the tan man. They tied the rope around his neck and I made possibly one of the most dangerous decisions of my life.

As he dropped I whispered, "I can't let a fan of mine fall so easily…" and let fly with one of my smaller throwing knives. It glistened as it sailed through the air, right into the rope above the tan man's head. The shady-looking men released the horse and the tan man fell onto it with perfect timing. He quickly pulled one of his hands out from the bonds and galloped off into the town. The crowd was too thick, people were rioting. The guards had no hope of possibly catching him and he was able to get away.

After watching him ride off into the slums, where the fog was so thick that day that no one without proper gear would survive long, I slid down the roof and ran off into the smog after him. I need a man good with portable canons on my side.


End file.
